The newest member of the York County Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit made his first public appearance on Sunday to a happy crowd of patrons outside of Infinito’s Pizza Buffet in York.

Sgt. Hawk, a two-and-a-half-year-old German Shepherd, was joined by his brothers in blue Cpt. Dargo, also a German Shepherd, and Lt. Lou, a 9-year-old bloodhound. The trio, along with their partners, were raising money for the unit, with Infinito’s donating a portion of sales over a five-hour period to the program.

Hawk, who is paired with Cpl. Corey Strine, will head to the Von der Haus Gill K-9 training school in Wapakoneta, Ohio, next month.

“This is a good way to introduce the dogs to crowds, so this doubles as good training,” Lt. Dave Godfrey said.

Godfrey, who has been partnered with Dargo for more than three years, said that, at the school, Hawk will learn “every facet of K-9 training,” including explosives, area searches and evidence searches.

Sunday’s fundraiser was one of three scheduled for 2017. Money raised goes to incidentals, like collars and leashes, Strine said.

Godfrey, a 15-year veteran of the sheriff’s office, said the K-9 unit went to about 100 public events and demonstrations, and was called out in the field 90 times in 2016.

Events like Sunday’s fundraiser help raise awareness for the unit and allow the public to meet the dogs in person. Those who have met the dogs before greeted them warmly with hugs or a pet on the back. Others, including children, brought dog biscuits for York County’s crime-fighting canines.

“The community has always been great with these dogs,” Godfrey said. “The support in York County has been great and we thank the county and the community for that.”

Strine said he gets a lot of pleasure from public events like the one on Sunday.

Hawk, right, with Cpl. Corey String, is the newest member of the York County SheriffÕs Office K-9 unit, making his first public appearance on Sunday to a crowd of patrons during a fundraiser at Infinito's Pizza Buffet in York.(Photo: Paul Kuehnel, Paul Kuehnel)

“This is the side of law enforcement I enjoy the most,” he said. “The public gets to see a different side of us.”